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To reduce door-to-needle times in acute stroke treatment. Using an organizational behaviour intervention (a large stopwatch), we will post a visual cue to remind all parties that "time is brain". We hypothesize that this simple visual cue will improve door-to-CT scan times and door-to-needle treatment times, and thus improve treatment response, and reduce adverse events.

Condition or disease

Intervention/treatment

Phase

Acute Stroke

Other: LED stopwatch-clock timers

Not Applicable

Detailed Description:

We will construct a large, "in-your-face" red LED stopwatch-clock that is the intervention. The clock will be attached to the stretcher of patients presenting for hyperacute stroke treatment (consideration of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) treatment at the moment of their Emergency department arrival. This will act as a constant visual reminder to all team members (physicians, RN's, CT technologists) of the urgency of the situation. The study will be a block randomization, by week of presentation. All patients presenting during "on" weeks will have a stopwatch timer with them during the hyperacute stroke workup. During "off" weeks, the clocks will not be used.

Stopwatch timers will NOT be used for "off clock" weeks, so patients presenting with hyperacute stroke will be managed normally without the visual timer.

Active Comparator: 'On Clock"

LED stopwatch-clock timers will be posted for all patients presenting during "ON clock" weeks. All patients presenting with hyperacute stroke will be managed normally with the addition of a visual stopwatch timer.

Other: LED stopwatch-clock timers

We will attach a large, "in-your-face" red LED stopwatch-clock timers to the patient's stretcher at the moment of ED arrival to act as a constant visual reminder to all team members (physicians, RN's, CT technologists) of the urgency of the situation.

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Ages Eligible for Study:

Child, Adult, Older Adult

Sexes Eligible for Study:

All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers:

No

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

All patients who present to the emergency room with acute stroke for consideration of treatment with tPA.

Exclusion Criteria:

Patients presenting to the emergency room (door time) more than 4.5 hours after symptom onset